A normal day at our house

Boats on the Boardwalk

We headed to Traverse City this weekend for the Boats on the Boardwalk boat show.  Jason has wanted to make it to this show all year, and the boats didn't disappoint.

Unfortunately, the weather did, at least for a short time.  Jason giving me a "you are crazy" look while Hannah and I hid out under a tent to stay out of the rain.  Hmmm.... who's the crazy one standing IN the rain?!?

One tired little guy.

Tailgating in downtown TC while we waited for Jason's parents to arrive.

Finally crashed.

We checked into our hotel later in the day and took the kids out to the beach.  Unfortunately, the rain started up again, but the kids didn't mind.

Loving the water!  It was so warm.

Little fish.

The sand man.

Playing with Grandpa.

Jason buried both kids in the sand.

The view from our room - just beautiful, even with cloudy skies.

We all took the kids for a ride on the train, pulled by a mini steam engine.  I think Jason was the most excited of all!  We were sad to learn that this is the last year the train will be there.  The city is moving it out to put in a splash pad.

Again, Jack maxed out and crashed in the stroller.

Taking a rest after lots of walking and shopping.  It was a quick, activity filled couple of a days.  Needless to say, it was a quiet ride home.

August Happenings

It's so hard to believe we're already into August.  We're trying to make the most of what we have left of summer.

After our success with raspberry picking, we decided to give blueberry picking a try.

We went to VenRoy Blueberry Farm with our friends Sara, Jacob, Kristel, Noah, Jordan and their cousins.

I was pretty picky with the blueberries I selected, so we only ended up with 6 lbs.  Thankfully, Jason has a great connection at work, so we're now up to 32 lbs. of blueberries at home!

Hannah participated in the library's reading program this summer.  She was so proud to turn in her calendar and get her prize bag and book.  Of course, she picked a princess book! 

The evening weather finally cooled off enough for us to have dinner on the deck.

Our first attempt to make pizzas on the grill, and they turned out delicious!  We had pesto, bbq chicken, and traditional pizzas.  I don't know why we waited to so long to try this.  They will definitely be on the summer menu from now on.

Perfect summer dessert -

popsicles and flavor ice!

I was going to take the kids to the zoo, but the morning we picked was absolutely nuts.  There must have been a special event going on, so instead we opted for the park.

We still have a few things left on our list to do.  Summer will be over before we know it.

Fair Time

For the second year, Haworth hosted our company picnic at the Ottawa County Fair.  Last year we weren't able to make it, so we were really looking forward to it this year.

After a fantastic catered lunch, we set out to explore the fairgrounds.  Haworth provided wristbands for unlimited rides, which Jason and the kids all got.  They also provided a free cone to feed the animals, which Hannah did for the first time, with just a little help from Daddy.

I was surprised by the number of rides Hannah could go on with an adult.  The very first ride she went on was the scrambler.  I don't know why I was thinking it was just a nice, little ride that goes in a circle.  That thing whipped them all over the place!  I couldn't see Hannah because she was so small in the seat (which I kept yelling at Jason to hold onto her!), but Jason said that she was smiling the whole time.

She went on quite a few of the kiddie rides all by herself, too.  Can you tell she was loving it?

Although Jack had a wristband, he was content just hanging out in the stroller.

Without a doubt, Hannah's favorite ride was the giant slide.  She screamed the entire way down.  As soon as they got  to the bottom, she turned around and immediately asked if she could do it again.

After hitting quite a few rides, and walking around in the hot sun, we stopped and got some lemonade, sno-cones, and ice cream with the fair bucks that Haworth also provided.

Before we headed out, we took a stroll through the animal barns.  By this time, Jack was totally wiped out, but he refused to fall asleep in the stroller.  Some rather loud piggies put him over the top, and he totally lost it.

At the end of the day, we had one happy little girl.

Big thanks to Haworth for providing such a great time at the fair!

My how things change

Recently, we got together some of Jason's very first friends that he made when he moved to Grand Rapids, the guys he used to work with at Jedco.  Before we all started having kids, we actually got together quite a bit, but unfortunately, it's just gotten harder and harder over the past few years.  We now all have kids basically the same ages, so it was fun to get everybody together.

Hannah and Adeline just couldn't believe Jack was belly flopping into the pool. 

So many changes less than 4 years and 8 kids later!

14 Months Old

Jack is now 14 months old.  Here's a glimpse of what he's up to:

*He is now officially walking!

*We think he is starting to get his 1-year molars.  Lots of drool and some restless sleep.

*He LOVES blueberries but not so big on raspberries.  Must take after Grandma Davis :-)

*He's got rhythm.  Whenever he hears music, he has to bounce.

*He gives wonderful hugs and is such a cuddler.

*He loves books.  Quite often I will find him with a book all on his own, flipping pages.

*He plays very well by himself and with Hannah, although he can get quite upset when he doesn't want to share.

*He pulls himself up to our legs and says "uh" (up) when he wants up.

*He likes to close doors.  Unfortunately, he then gets stuck behind them.

He continues to be an easy, happy, goofy joy in our lives.  We are so blessed by this little man.

Weekend of Firsts

We were excited to experience quite a few firsts last weekend...

Jason's first time staying up on water skis,

meeting baby cousin Oliver,

Jack standing on his own, and...

 We were soooo excited that Jack finally took his first steps!  Not only did he take a step, he walked all the way across the floor.  I had a hunch that he could do it for quite awhile but was just too chicken to try.

Hannah wanted to go to the beach so badly, but just as we were packing up to go, we heard thunder.  The sky looked all right, so we headed down anyway.  Looking at the sky once we got down there, we only let her stay in the water a few minutes before we headed back to the cottage.

That smile did not last long when we told her she had to get out of the water.

Aunt Courtney gave Jack his 2nd hair cut ever.

He did a great job sitting still.

Such a big boy!

With the iffy weather, we let the girls play in the sprinkler instead of chancing it at the lake.

Later in the evening when the ski had cleared, Jason and I took the kids (and dog) back down to the lake.  Jack's first time playing in (and eating) the sand at the beach.

Hannah had to show him the ropes.

Love that tongue!

Our beach girl.